Not all at once…

[LinkinChicks]

Hey there,

This isn’t my first time hatching, but I’m still a newbie. One thing I struggle with is what to do when they don’t all hatch or even pip together. Right now is hatching day, I have a dozen goose eggs in the incubator and at least 10 I’m expecting to hatch (good veins and seemed active). Well… only 3 pipped so far and 2 of those hatched with the 3rd still making its way out. The remaining eggs have yet to pip. My problem starts when the hatched birds are fluffed and ready to come out and by that time I’ve usually got a few more pipped. What I’ve done in the past is just wait a day or two max and then pull the ones ready and leave the rest, but last hatch that lead to 1 getting shrink wrapped, needing help, and then dying in the first week anyways, and another being flipped beak down and not even making it out of the shell… is there a better way? How quickly do you pull out the ones that are ready? How long do you wait for late pippers? I know everyone has different practices, but I’m just trying to see if anyone has it figured out better than I do. (P.S. added pics of the current situation with 2 hatched, 1 pipped, and the rest quiet).

Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

Once they hatched chicks don't look soggy, take them out.
Are you rotating you eggs around the incubator since it appears you have a square one?

 

[LinkinChicks]

Okay, so you don’t wait even if others are pipping? I didn’t really rotate any around the incubator, I actually never do and have had fairly good success with this one, about the same as the nurture right 360. I have an automatic egg turner in there so they’re turning, but I don’t account for hot/cold spots if that’s what you’re referring to. Maybe that would make the hatch more even?

 

[nuthatched]

Okay, so you don’t wait even if others are pipping? I didn’t really rotate any around the incubator, I actually never do and have had fairly good success with this one, about the same as the nurture right 360. I have an automatic egg turner in there so they’re turning, but I don’t account for hot/cold spots if that’s what you’re referring to. Maybe that would make the hatch more even?

Yep, hot and cool spots can make wonky hatches.
There's no need to wait so long, as long as you don't take more than a minute, they'll be fine.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm hatching about two dozen chicks every four to five days trying to keep up with silkie sales here this year. What I do is walk away and let nature take its course. Those hatching don't need food/water for up to 72 hours.

It's hard, I know, and the other day I got my first buff ever, so I snuck it out still half wet so I could adore it better.

Other than that, I wait the day or two until they've all hatched. If, per chance, there's still an egg or two in there, I try to see if I see pips or not. Usually, not. I remove the lid, take them all out, then check whatever egg(s) are left in there. If alive, I wrap them in a damp paper towel very loosely and put them back in. The humidity will rise back up as those eggshells are still in there, plus the damp paper towel.

Had I seen a pip, they would all wait.

 

[SourRoses]

I break the rules all the time and take chicks out. Usually I've filled the bator to the point there's not enough room for chicks to linger long. And they always seem happier out of the forced air + high humidity conditions in the incubator.

Yes, I've shrink wrapped chicks before, but it is preventable. One, hatching humidity can be boosted as high as it will go without bad effects if the eggs already lost the right amount of moisture. Two, be quick and efficient getting chicks out. I often ask for a helper who hold the lid for me or help with anything needed. It's more of a struggle alone.
As soon as I have the chicks in their transport vessel (a lined basket, or small box, etc) I whip out the egg shells that will get in the others way, and turn any eggs not on their UP side. How do I know? I mark their UP side with a penciled heart when I do the pre-lockdown candle. You know how the air cells form an increasing diagonal as they progress in incubation? Well the side with the most air is where they pip 90% of the time. So I put the heart below that lowest point so I don't have trouble seeing the pip. It's okay if it doesn't sit exactly UP, some eggs won't, but it's a good indication if an egg got rolled over.
There may be better methods. Some people put coils of rope in their bators to prevent rolling... but I don't have the room and find cleanup hard enough as it is with yicky goop everywhere, lol.

 

[redinator]

I'm hatching about two dozen chicks every four to five days trying to keep up with silkie sales here this year. What I do is walk away and let nature take its course. Those hatching don't need food/water for up to 72 hours.

It's hard, I know, and the other day I got my first buff ever, so I snuck it out still half wet so I could adore it better.

Other than that, I wait the day or two until they've all hatched. If, per chance, there's still an egg or two in there, I try to see if I see pips or not. Usually, not. I remove the lid, take them all out, then check whatever egg(s) are left in there. If alive, I wrap them in a damp paper towel very loosely and put them back in. The humidity will rise back up as those eggshells are still in there, plus the damp paper towel.

Had I seen a pip, they would all wait.

That's the first time I heard about the damp paper towel . . . I'll have to try that with my next hatch.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Before they hatch they absorb the yolk. They can live on that for 72 hours without eating or drinking. If you keep track of the hours, you don't have to take them out that quickly. That is nature's way to allow the hen to stay on the nest of for the later eggs to hatch. I'm in no hurry to take them out.

If I have an emergency I take care of it. I understand that it is possible to shrink-wrap one that has pipped by opening the incubator but that happens really rarely. If I have what I consider an emergency I weigh the chances. Am example: I had an egg get covered by half of a shell from a chick that previously hatched, by the chicks moving around. If a chick tried to pip it would not be able to so I opened the incubator and removed that piece of shell.

You had one shrink wrap without opening the incubator. When you deal with living animals you don't get guarantees. Things happen. My guess is that that specific egg had high porosity so it lost a lot more moisture than the other less porous eggs. That's just a guess, it could have been something else. It was an individual egg problem, not a hatchwide problem.

If I have a chick that is shrink-wrapped I try to help, usually waiting until the rest have hatched as I generally do not consider that enough of an emergency that it needs immediate help. Of course, there are exceptions. I had one that was shrink wrapped and yellow stuff (probably poop) started coming out of the pip hole. I immediately opened the incubator and helped it. That chick survived. I lose about half of the chicks that shrink-wrap. Over the years it hasn't been that many. If an egg does not hatch there is generally a reason. Some chicks are just not meant to make it.

If I saw an egg where the pip was pressed down on the bottom of the incubator so it could not breathe I'd help it. But there is a good chance you would not be able to see that. Maybe if you knew it was pipped and then you could not see the pip? After the hatch is over I open unhatched eggs to try to determine why they did not hatch. Maybe the never developed or they stopped somewhere along the journey. Usually it is a wide variety of reasons if I can even figure out what happened. Over the years I've found a couple that might have possibly been caused by the egg rolling over and blocking the pip hole. Possibly, I'm not sure. I know I get other eggs that pip but never hatch.

I try to do the best I can. I understand that some eggs will not hatch, whether that is my fault or from some other reason. I want them all to hatch but that is not realistic. I try to do what is best for the majority of the eggs, not always one individual egg. Sometimes it is a rough decision.

 

[Sic]

I take mine out when dry, but I use hot water in a spray bottle to add humidity when I open the incubator so the humidity doesn't drop. I've had chicks pip and hatch on day 23 and 24, so I tend to let the incubator go to day 25 or so.